Kolb FIRESTAR accident near Meadow Grove, NE

On July 20, 2025, a Kolb FIRESTAR (airplane) was involved in an accident near Meadow Grove, NE. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.

Date
July 20, 2025
Place
Meadow Grove, NE
Aircraft
Kolb FIRESTAR · Airplane
Injuries
1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
Damage
Destroyed
Position
42.114°N, 97.772°W
NTSB ID
20250720200577

NTSB summary

On July 19, 2025, about 2050 central daylight time, a Kolb Firestar airplane, N55161, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Meadow Grove, Nebraska. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. A family member reported that the pilot departed his private airstrip about 1610. Local authorities were notified of the accident about 2050 when a property owner noticed the airplane in his soybean field. There were no witnesses, and the exact time of the accident is unknown. The accident site was located in a soybean field about 0.3 mile south of the departure airstrip. Initial ground impact was about 50 ft from the wreckage, and the impact path was oriented on a southwest heading. The forward portion of the fuselage was crushed aft, and the cockpit area was compromised. The left wing was separated at the root and retained by the wing strut. The right wing remained attached to the fuselage at the root with the wing strut intact. The tailboom was fractured about 2 ft aft of the fuselage consistent with impact forces. It was retained by the elevator and rudder cables. The empennage remained attached to the tail boom. The upper portion of the vertical stabilizer and rudder were deformed consistent with the impact sequence. Figure 1 – Accident Site Aileron control continuity was continuous from the control stick to the wing roots, and from the wing roots to the ailerons. Aileron control rod end separations at the wing roots appeared consistent with overstress failures resulting from the impac

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